Press Room -- Illinois State Museum, Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Illinois State Museum, Springfield is seeking friendly, energetic volunteers to work with visitors in the Mary Ann MacLean Play Museum, the hands-on children’s area at the Illinois State Museum. Applications are available by contacting Beth Shea at volunteer@museum.state.il.us or 217-782-5507. Volunteer shifts inthe Play Museum are 2 or 3 hours long and available on weekdays and weekends.

Volunteers greet families and groups as they enter the Play Museum, interact with visitors, and help keep the exhibit neat. The Play Museum is designed for children ages 3-10 and families to learn through play what it is like to work at a museum. Children can excavate Mastodont bones, load a jeep for an expedition, crawl through a cave, frame and display art, explore fantastic objects in the collections, and much more. Prospective volunteers must be adults or teens, complete an Illinois State Museum volunteer application and a 30 minute interview, and attend a training class. The next class will be held from 9:00 – 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, January 29. For more information and future training dates visit the Museum’s Web site at http://bit.ly/ismvol.

The Illinois State Museum promotes discovery, learning, and an appreciation of Illinois’ natural, cultural, and artistic heritage. The Museum’s extensive collections and research activities provide the foundation for exhibitions and public programs that tell the story of the land, life, people, and art of Illinois. The Illinois State Museum is located at 502 S. Spring St. (on the corner of Spring and Edwards Streets) in Springfield and is open from 8:30 - 5:00 Monday through Saturday and from 12:00 - 5:00 on Sunday. Admission is free. Parking is available nearby and the building is ADA accessible.